NAMM 2019: Ibanez TSV808 Vemuram Tube Screamer

This year at NAMM, Ibanez has unveiled a new pedal. It is a collaboration with a Japanese pedal maker, Vemuram. Vemuram has made a name for themselves by using high-quality parts and outstanding quality control. The TSV808 looks like a beautiful example of simplicity and elegance in aesthetics. This pedal might look spectacular, but what's new with the Vemuram Tube Screamer?

Nearly anyone who has ever made an effect pedal has made a tube scream., and I do mean everyone. It's almost a right of passage for budding pedal builders to make this simple circuit. I love a tube screamer in my rig, but I don't pretend to hear a wide range of difference in the different shades of green. I own a 1980s TS9 and it is still a toss-up between a decent clone. So, this is a pretty reissue of a TS808 made with a boutique pedal builder. If you like that kind of thing, then this is for you. It doesn't really speak to me, but this is more about a new twist on an old favorite.

NAMM 2018: Outlaw FX Cactus Juice 2-Mode Overdrive

If you are a fan of inexpensive compact guitar pedals, then you probably already know about Outlaw effects. They hit the scene a couple years ago and they have been expanding their line steadily since. Also, if you like your effects western themed, you are defiantly a fan of Outlaw. The Cactus Juice Overdrive is a pretty typical mid-humped Scream-type pedal. The one thing that sets this pedal apart is the switch. Labeled Juiced/Normal, what the switch actually does may be up for debate. But at least we get something more than another tube screamer clone. I'd like to put this next to my other TS pedals and see how it stands up.

From Effects Database:

Classic warm, creamy screamer-inspired drive is tonic for your tone
JUICED/NORMAL toggle switch offers additional versatility, with higher gain setting accessible with a flick of a switch:

• NORMAL: Traditionally warm and creamy breakup, great for rhythm parts, blues guitars, etc
• JUICED:  Ups the gain dosage to extra strength, and lets you tear through even the densest of mixes.

Level, Gain and Tone knobs give you complete control over your sound


More than 23000 guitar effects pedals from 4000 brands:
http://www.effectsdatabase.com/model/outlaw/cactusjuice

Ugly Guitar Truth: Ibanez NTS Nu Tube Screamer

I almost didn't believe it. I almost had to make sure that today wasn't April first and not January first because I saw something that absolutely did not make sense. Ibanez has leaked some information about a new pedal.The NTS or Nu Tube Screamer has been making the rounds. At first glance, it seems like a new color pallet for a vintage TS pedal, but new tech has made its way inside an old circuit.

It's Pretty

The first time I saw this pedal I thought it looked sharp. I dig the white and green. I like the colors so much I missed the addition of a new knob, gaping window, and odd power supply placement. For such classic design, the aesthetic was enough to pull me away from these glaring changes.

Mixing It Up

I'll admit. I love a Mix knob. I want every pedal I own to have a mix knob. I think it's a control thing. I don't like committing to one sound. I don't want a pedal to completely take over the sound of my guitar. With a Mix knob, I tell the pedal how much it can have. This is the reason I don't get along with most distortion pedals. It also might be the reason why I chase "transparent" overdrives.

NuTubes

I love the idea of compact vacuum tubes. I want to see more pedals and amps use them. I hope that technology is as impressive as I keep hearing that it is. So far Vox's line of super compact heads is the only implementation of these NuTubes that I know of. I've heard good things about those. Although I have yet to use a tube base overdrive, I look forward to doing so. I'd love to see how the TC Electronic Tube Pilot and Ibanez NTS stack up.

Conclusion

I'm excited. How could I not be? This is the first "New Tube Screamer" in over a decade. I've actually seen a site sell this pedal for about 240 BSP making it something like 300 USD. So, in short, it is a pedal a hundred dollar more than the price of a 50-watt head using the same tubes. I guess we'll have to wait and see when Ibanez rolls out the hard launch closer to NAMM.

Ugly Guitar Truth: TC Electronic El Mocambo Overdrive

Upon the announcement of the new El Mocambo, Tore himself practically called the new pedal a Tube Screamer. Uncertain whether this is a TS-9 or TS-808 clone, the allusion to "the most ledgendary overdrive circuit ever designed" almost assures it is one of the two.

Why Do We Need Another TS Pedal?


Short answer is that we don't. But, when you are cranking out pedal after pedal for your corporate overlords, a tube screamer is a sure-fire win. It's a simple circuit, so all you have to do is give it a cool name and mount it in a decommission soviet tank and call it a day.


Who really Needs To Buy A Pedal


I own two tube screamers (a TS-9 and TS-808) but I have many more that give me that same feel. Honestly, I prefer an OCD to either of my TS pedals. But, I can't deny the fact that I have a morbid curiosity when it comes to this pedal. I want to know what it sounds like compared to my other mid-humped overdrive. I know it's going to sound the same... but the marketing it too strong.


Conclusion


If you are trying to move to all your pedal having top jacks, or if you need a pedal that you could break a car window or fight out an attacker with, then you might want to check out this pedal. However, if you already have a TS type people, maybe try before you buy. If you've never used a TS or you want a TS but want to spend a little less, then maybe this pedal is for you.

$10 Overdrive vs $200 Overdrive

I've had a small credit sitting around at a music store. I honestly had no idea what I was going to use it for. I'm fairly well off on picks and strings and all that, so it has been sitting their. I noticed they had marked a Behringer Tube Overdrive right in my price range. I purchased the pedal with zero money down. Armed with a new pedal. I took it home and wondered what I was going to do with. I hadn't even tried it out at the store. It hit me. I'll put it out against my vintage Ibanez TS-9. Similar pedals sell for $200+. I thought it would make for a great "David vs Goliath" (kinda like how the Anderton's YouTube channel does) show down.

Long story short, There was a noticeable difference. The difference was present, but surprisingly small. the pedals made similar sounds. The Behringer was directly related to the Tube Screamer if not directly cloned. The biggest difference in the sounds was the amount of bass. The Vintage TS-9 was just a lot fuller sounding. The low end got left out for the most part when the Behringer overdrive was on. Also, the buffer in the Behringer sucked a little top end off. Putting the Behringer in a bypass loop, I was able to hear a little high end loss when it was kicked on. (This was confirmed in a bind sound-test) 2/3 I was able to tel when the pedal was in the loop. I blame the single time I was able to do so to the fact that my tone controls were tuned down accidentally.

The biggest shock of the whole test was the fact that the 30 year pedal was actually more reliable than the brand new one. Turn the Behringer was a hit or miss affair usually taking a few attempts. The Ibanez had no such problem. I have had to replace the switch in the Vintage pedal, but there really isn't any reason to have to repair a brand new effect.

Conclusion:

Did the more expensive pedal sound better? Yes. It also worked better in general. Did it perform 20 times better? No, but there are many pedal that do an excellent job of sounding like an iconic Tube Screamer and performing reliably.

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Is The KLON The New Tube Screamer?

Most of us that have peered behind the curtain of our guitar effects have noticed a trend that seems as old as the electric guitar (and its little effects buddies). People have been 'cloning' gear before 'cloning' was even a thing. Before the commercial success of the electronic effects industry, guitarist have been emulating one another in a myriad of ways. In the time before solid-bodied electric guitars, modified arch top guitars plugged into amplifiers were stuff full of rags to eliminate feed back. Amplifiers were modified with 'master' volume knobs to push the unit into situation. Beer bottles were used to emulate the sounds of a African folk instrument call the 'diddly bow'. These ideas were popularized and improved upon. We now owe solid-body guitars, overdrive and slide guitar to these trends. As we think back to a time when the lowly Tube Screamer was introduced, before the host of modifications were made common. One of the greatest guitarist famously used the Tube Screamer to shape his legendary sound. Fast forward thirty years and we see the trend again, only with a new name.

The Klon has an epic back story. Back in the mid 90s Bill Finnegan built the first Klon Centaurs. From there the popularity and mythos behind the pedal blossomed. Many popular players picked up on the pedals lure. The used value of the pedal skyrocketed when production of the centaur stopped. In the following years Bill, in partnership with others, developed the KTR to have the same effect while using surface mounted components. The trajectory of the klon follows that of the Tube Screamer. If we apply the same logic, what does this mean for the Klon? Well, if history serves: clones, mods, and and reissues.

Clones... There are tonnes of clone of the Centaur. A list would be academic, but makers have been producing these since the original has gone out of production. The replications haven't stop since the introduction of the KTR either. Wampler just released the Tumnus which puts the Centaur in a tiny package. Mods are common as well. The originals are still too sacred to tamper with (they are also covered in epoxy). But many mods have become popular for the clones and facsimiles. Reissues my just be an inevitability. At the moment, Finnegan seems unmotivated to produce any more Centaurs in any large amounts.

5 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Buying A New Pedal

Lately I've run into a problem. My pedal board is full of great pedals. I know. That is a horrible problem to have, but hear me out. I may or may not have GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). I like to buy and try new gear, a lot. So when I see something shiny, or new, or cheap, I feel like I have to buy it. However, I just can't seem to figure out why. I love the way my rig sounds. Would it get better if I had the new/shiny/cheap pedal that has caught my fancy? Most likely not. But I still want it. For a while this would cause me to buy the gear and then ultimately regret it and sell it. Is this just part of pedal board evolution or is it the symptom of a great issue. Either way, I've devised a list of question to aid in determining whether your gear purchase is warranted. (Disclaimer: this is only a guide. This works for me, but ultimately you gotta do you and make your own decisions)

Do I Already Have One Of Those?

Jump on any guitar forum and you'll see that the new, spiffy pedal that is coming out is only a clone of another pedal that has been a around for ages. Take the Tube Screamer. The Tube Screamer lives in so many variations that it is hard to even compile an accurate list of all of them. Just assume anything made by Ibanez and painted green is a TS. Other companies have made their versions as well. Boss has the SD-1, EHX has the East River Drive, Digitech has the Bad Monkey, BBE has the Green Driver and just about any Boutique builder has their own take on the old circuit. So if you have a mid-hump overdrive that you like and the pedal you are salivating over closely resembles the one that you own... maybe think twice before throwing down your money. At least A/B them to decide if the differences are even noticeable.

Do I Need Another One Of These?

Similar to the first question, this question deal with the category of the pedal in question. For instance. My board is a little heavy with dirt pedals. I have to cover a lot of bases when I play, so I like to be prepared for just about anything. I have 6 different dirt pedals to cover anything thing from transparent OD to Fuzz. Overkill? Sure. But I can choose a different voice for each sound if I needed to. In the past few weeks I've been temped to get googly-eye over some pedals. The DOD 250 reissue has been temping. The Wampler Tumnus is another that is just too cool not to dig. But I have those bases covered. There are others that have really tempted me, like the Visual Sound/Truetone VS-XO and the JHS Sweet Tea, not to mention the VFE R(ainbows U(nicorns & )P(uppies). The Question goes like this:

"Man, that _______ looks awesome!"
"Do I need another ________?"
"YES!"
"Really?!"
"yes...?"
"..."
"no." (feeling sorry for myself ensues)

Will I Use This?

There are some weird effects out there. I love weird effects. I bought a Line6 M5 just so I could make weird noises with my guitar. One of the most talked about pedals right now tries to turn you guitar into an electric piano. There you have it, weird noises are cool, but do you really have a place to use that weird noise in your Top 40 cover band? Probably not. If you have the means and you want to make weird noises, then by all means buy the darn thing, but if you are like me and don't have a ton of disposable income to blow on a pedal that seems fun, then think again. Some things are gimmicks. Novelties don't hold up. You get tired of them quickly, aren't helpful, and will be cast out in short order. The M5 makes lots of cool noises, and I use it, but I most just use the reverb or some other subtle effect. That Step filter, that I thought was so cool, has yet to make a appearance on stage.

Why Do I Want This Pedal

This question can only be answered by the person asking it. (that sounds pretty meta, right?) It the world of guitar effects, there is a lot to be said for hype. The Klon (and all it's copies) has had a long life due to the crazy amount of hype that accompanies the pedal. Boutique builders and modders will tell you all that great things they've done to familiar circuits to make that so much better. But all the fancy words about NOS parts and HIFI mods and so on, are just that, words. Side by side most of these boutique creations are hard to discern from the original product. Pretty boxes and trendy names might sound appealing, but it doesn't translate into a better sounding pedal. This might be the hardest question to answer, because you have to be honest with yourself. Sometimes a good price will temp me to throw down some cash, but just because it's cheaper at Store B than Store A doesn't mean you need that pedal any more.

Can I Afford It

Maybe the simplest question on the list. It is possibly the most important as well. It should always be the last one to ask. After you have past all the other questions, you then need to ask yourself whether or not it is a smart financial decision. I have a budget that limits my pedal buying. I make special exception now and then, but for the most part I try to limit my pedal buying, because if I don't, it will get out of hand. I often stretch my budget by buying used pedals and by trading. I'm fortunate to have a large group of great musician that are almost always willing to swap and trade (sometime even loan out gear). This is invaluable. If you don't have a group like this, then try to start one. The internet is a great place, but you have to read past the sales pitches. (that's why I'm here). A good group of musician-friends should be straight up with one another.

So those are my 5 question to ask yourself before buy a new pedal, or any gear really. I have to ask myself those same question quite often. I don't always like the answers but it helps me sleep at night when I think about all those pedals I could have. When funds are low, it helps to remember that I probably don't need that pedal anyways. When I have funds it helps me choose the best pedal to spend my money on. I hope this help you guys deal with your GAS!

Ugly Truth: Vintage TS-9 Tube Screamer

Some time ago I was going through the bargain bin at the local music store and found a Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer. I already had a TS-9DX and wasn't all that impressed by it, but I figured that I would compare the two and see if there were any major advantages with one or the other. On a lark I traded bit of gear for a $0 transaction. One home I played the two Tube Screamers side by side. The TS-9 did seem to have a little more high-end on tap, but the two were very close. Weeks past and I wanted a project, so I decided to do some mods to the TS-9. The bottom plate was covered in Velcro covering the bottom. I peeled the Velcro off to access the screws and the bottom label came off. Usually I don't care about such things, but I stopped and peeled the label away from the Velcro. To my surprise it was not a contemporary label. To the internet I went to find out when this pedal was made. It could be vintage. So using the label, battery door, and some of the actually PCB components, I was able to determine that this pedal was made in 1983. It was one of the earliest TS-9s ever made. I was holding a $200-300 pedal. I was excited by the find, and I also decided that I would mod it, obviously. The picture isn't always pretty though.

Pedals Don't Get Better With Time

There is a big to-do about vintage pedals, but the reason that vintage pedal are popular isn't really based on fact. We owe most of our desire to vintage effects to two things: discontinued effects (the real reason) and vintage instruments. For as long as I can remember, people have said that violins better with age. The oldest and finest violin was Stradivarius. Fast forward a few hundred years and people still clamor over Pre-CBS Fenders. So people apply a subjective thought about violins to modern instruments and that spills over into other gear. There are some reason that some people go up in value. The Boss Slow gear is a pedal that has gone out of production and are hard to come by. They can be seen as high as $500. But people who care still rave about replacing passive components with vintage counterparts, spending time and money to replace something with objectively no difference. The truth is that many of components worsen over time. Metal rusts, Pots get scratchy, years of exposure cause degradation.

Much Of The Difference Is In Our Heads

I did a shootout with several Tube Screamer and Tube Screamer like pedals. After A/B-ing each combination with each pedal in its own loop, I was only able to discern slight differences between the pedals. They ranged from a $40 Bad Monkey to EHX's East River Drive to my vintage TS-9. I'm not saying that I could replace one for another and there be no difference, but the difference there was made little impact to the overall sound. No one casually listening would be able to tell the difference from the cheapest to the most expensive. Just knowing which pedal I was playing probably accounted for most the difference that I "heard".

The Coolest Thing About Owning A Vintage Pedal Is Owning A Vintage Pedal

The only time that people know that my TS-9 is vintage is when I tell them, and every I do, I feel like that guy. There is nearly no reason to own vintage gear than to brag about it. I wouldn't have picked up this pedal if the seller actually knew it was vintage. I do run a TS pedal on my board, but it's not the vintage one. I run an East River Drive because it sounds good and it has True Bypass and a brighter LED (and the pots aren't scratchy(and yes, I've tried contact cleaner)). I've considered sell a number of times. It would be nearly all profit, but I've decided that having a somewhat rare pedal around isn't a bad thing. Its more like a neat collectible than a pedal that I use. On the one hand, it's a good working pedal that deserves to be used, on the other hand, it is a semi-rare and valuable piece of gear.

Conclusion

The thing I like most about the pedal is the story that I get to tell of how I acquired it. I also like to see people reaction to the value of the pedal. Yes, I brag a little bit, but mostly I just think it's cool.

The Ugly Truth About Outlaw Effect's Dead Man's Hand

A little while ago, I wrote a post about Outlaw Effects. Turns out I got some of the details wrong. This led the guys over at Outlaw to politely respond. Turns out they are from Canada and not France, so I guess these guys are more into hockey and beer than... French... stuff. These guys are more likely to say "aye" than "ooh la la" than I previously thought. When the guys were setting me straight I figured I'd slip in a request to try out some of their pedals, which goes to show you what can happen if you just ask because they actually said yes. Let's take a look at the Dead Man's Hand from Outlaw Effects.

Standard micro pedal setup. I've already spent a good deal of time describing the physical pedals here, so now we will mostly look at the sounds this makes. I spent a lot of time with this pedal. I used it as my primary OD on my pedalboard for a set I played a few days ago. It kicked my East River Drive by EHX. I played my 72 reissue Telecaster through my board and into a Fender tube 1x12 amplifier. I found it to be very usable. Most sounds that the ERD made the Dead Man's Hand can follow while taking less than half the real estate. If space and weight are an issue, and when is it not, then the Dead Man's Hand is a great pick. Also consider that the Outlaw's OD is less expensive than the EHX's pedal and you have a real competitive product. In practice, the Dead Man's Hand was able to serve just as well as my main Tube Screamer clone. But how does in stack up against other Tube Screamers head-to-head?

TS Shootout:

Above is a picture of the competitors. From left to right: Digitech Bad Monkey, Outlaw's Dead Man's Hand, a 1985 vintage Ibanez TS-9, and Electro Harmonics' East River Drive.

Round 1: DMH vs ERD

On paper, these two stack up quite well. Both have true bypass, bright LED, heavy duty switches, nice sturdy metal cases, and comparable prices. When played they are very similar as well. They are both chock full of the classic tube screamer type sound. Warm, gritty, tube-like break up at home with lead and rhythm roles. Both pedals matched each others' sounds. This is until I flipped the switch. My assumption was that the switch was there to flatten the mid-hump. It does a lot more. It acts almost like a frequency boost for the highs and lows. There is a big difference in the output when put into the "Aces" mode. The level is boosted as well as the lows. In fact, the biggest notable difference was with the bass. The lows were much more prominent. The ERD left the bottom end behind when the tone knob was cranked. When in "Eights" mode, so does the DMH. But when put into the "Aces" mode, this pedal reaches a territory that the ERD couldn't follow.

Round 2: DMH vs Bad Monkey

The Bad Money is a pedal that many hold in high regard, and yet others dismiss at a cheap copy of a tube screamer that doesn't stack up. I would mostly be in the second camp. This is actually one of the first pedals that I ever bought. It was inexpensive enough for me to afford, and sounded like something I could use. Love it or hate it, this pedal actually stacks up with the other in this list. The biggest noticeable difference with the Bad Monkey is that instead of a tone knob, it has adjustable highs and lows. Set at 12 o'clock the DMH is much more transparent, but with adjustment (lows at 2 o'clock and highs nearly pegged) the Bad Monkey was brought close enough that I had to try hard to hear the difference between the two. Needless to say that there was a lot of territory that the Bad Monkey couldn't explore like the DMH.

Round 3: DMH vs Vintage TS-9

So, it's time to bring out the big guns. Many collectors and modders hold the vintage pedals as a bench mark, something to shoot for. That's why no test is complete without putting the real deal beside the up and comer. Again, both pedals went blow for blow, producing very similar sounds at nearly the same settings. With everything dimed, the TS-9 had a little more high end and transparency. But the same problem was present with the lows. The bottom end just wasn't there anymore. It's the same story with the DMH until you hit the toggle.

The Conclusion

The Dead Man's Hand is a great pedal from Outlaw Effects. I have stated some of my dislikes about how the pedal is put together, but for the sound this pedal is an amazing value. Great Tube Screamer like tone at a fraction of the cost and space, plus the added benefit of a useful boost feature. Don't dismiss this pedal for its affordable price, it easily stacks up to anything in its class.

A (Ugly) Hands On Review of Outlaw Effects

In a world that seems to be filled with reissues and clones of everything, we have very little in the way of genuinely new products. While Outlaw Effects may not be exactly breaking new ground, their line includes the standard overdrive, distortion, reverb, delay, and chorus type pedals but, the way they approach each one breaths a little bit of new life into something that we are all very familiar with. Outlaw Effects have also done this with keeping costs very low. I honestly don't know how they make money selling these boxes for what they do. These aren't one trick ponies. They have more features than you'd see on your standard (and larger sized) three-knob-jobs. So, when Outlaw Effects reached out with an offer to review a couple of their effects, I jumped at the chance. Because the only thing I like more than getting to the truth about the gear that we use is to play with new toys!

First Impressions

The pedals come in handsome boxes. Matte black, slick labels, and magnetic closures all seem like something you'd see on a boutique box. However, mine were shipped in a padded mailing envelope that got beat up along the way. The boxes aren't fully sealed and allowed some of the recycled material used as filling in the shipping envelope to coat the pedals. No big deal really, but the smaller knobs are directly mounted on the PCB and have small gaps between them and the case. Again, not a bad thing, you need these gaps so that you can actually turn these knobs, but they don't seem as "sealed" as their bigger brothers. Upon opening the cases, I discovered the same dust from the bag had worked it's way into the pedal. I don't think that will have any effect on the pedals performance, but lets just say that these pedals aren't impervious to the elements.

Upon Closer Inspection

These pedals are manufactured in China. No surprise there. They also seem to share the same case design as many of the other micro pedals on the market. Maybe even from the same manufacturer. I will go on record that the foam rubber pad on the bottom is not to my liking. It doesn't seem like that would facilitate a hook and loop (Velcro-type) strip very well and cleaning that pad off might become somewhat of a chore. Compared to the line of Joyo micro-pedals that come with a nice flat bottom to attach either an (included) 3M hook and loop strip or rubber pad, it would be a nice consideration. (Those Joyo Pedals run 10-20 dollars more than most of Outlaw's offerings.) Not only that, but the screws that secure the bottom plate protrude, so that if you were to remove the foam pad, you may not have a sure fit to your board. These pedals are basically meant to live on a pedal board. Their long and narrow shape do not bode well for them being a stand alone unit. Anyone with a clumsy, or over enthusiastic, foot might twist their ankle on these things. Having said that, I have not attached one of these pedals to my board yet, so we will just have to test them out and see.

Looking Forward

I've received two pedals to test drive: Dead Man's Hand and Five O'Clock Fuzz. I'm looking forward to giving them a thorough run through. The Dead Man's Hand looks to be a Tube Screamer with an extra toggle at the top. It's marked "Aces" and "eight". I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager that it has something to do with leveling out the mid hump. The Five O'clock Fuzz seems to be a pretty straight forward fuzz of the three knob variety. It's difficult to tell without playing, but I hear that it is closely related to the EHX Big Muff. If that is true, then I am going to be rather happy with this pedal. My current fuzz pedal of choice is the Big Muff Pi with tone wicker. The Big Muff sound is iconic fuzz with a little bit of tweak-ability. This could prove to be a home run since a notable downside to the Big Muff is it's size. I'll keep you updated as I clock some time with these pedals. Each one will get a detailed review and maybe some video. I'm very excited about these two.

5 Pedals That Every Guitarist Should Own

There are large number of pedal in this world. It is hard to know where to start. Basically, you have to find out what your needs are. But sometimes we need something that helps us expand our sonic range. If you don't have and use these pedals already, then you need to do your self a favor and look into them. They are pretty much awesome.

1)Wah-Wah

The mystic box of funky sounds. The most prolific of course being the Dolup Crybaby. There are endless varities and flavors of this effect. Most large pedal makers have an option. Some boutique guys have had a swing at making there own rocker pedals. Most of us have used if not own some type of wah. It is endlessly entertaining and super expressive. Its not so much which one your use, but that do use one. No two pedal use there wah the same. Find your voice and experiment. It makes you standout. If your play a set and employ this pedal, you'll always get a comment usually starting with "Whoa!"

2)Delay

Again, this is one of those pedal that people can use in countless ways. Some people just set it and forget. You can use it like a type of reverb, or help make your sustain sound endless. There are some genres that are built around this effect: Rock-a-billy and soundscape. Short, long, slap-back, infinite loop, they all have there place and you'd do you're self a favor by picking up one of these. You can get started with an investment of about $50. Behringer, Dan-electro, Rouge, or a use boss unit will be good bets to get you started. Currently I use a Boss DD-20 and it does tons of things, most I've yet to use live. Needing something to seriously expand you sound? Delay.

3)Fuzz

Fuzz is one of the sounds that everyone does a little differently, but they all have very distinguishable sound. Fuzz is not shy or timid. Its made to be in your face. It says look at me. You kick it in when you solo, or want to sound like Jimi. You are basically making noise that is barely recognizable as music. It is the musically equivalent of a push-up bra. This pedal is very polarizing. Some people love it and other hate it. Some people spend their lives searching for the "Holy Grail". There is no such thing as a "bad fuzz". There is only a fuzz you don't like and ones that you do. Go find one that you enjoy, and use it when you want a little attention.

4)Tube Screamer (of some kind)

In a world filled with overdrives and distortions, there is one that spreads like a virus into almost every like of pedal. You can buy the real deal (reissue) for Ibanez, or buy any of the copies that are out there. You can even buy a kit to build your own. Basically a Tube Screamer is a symmetrical distortion with a boost to the mid frequencies. There are serval: Green Screamer, Bad Monkey, Joyo Vintage Overdrive, Route 808, Boss SD-1/BD-2(ish), EHX East River Drive. Everyone has their favorite one, but its fun to take that trip down the rabbit hole and see how far you can get. The best thing I can recommend is to go your your local music store and spend time trying there selection of these, and other, pedals. Have fun and get inspired.

The Case for Another Tube Screamer (EHX East River Drive)

So if you haven't heard, EHX has been cooking up some new dirt. There has been some backlash since a few of their "ideas" haven't been quite original. I posted my hands on review of their Mosfet (OCD) overdrive. This, if you couldn't tell be the extreme use of green or the title of this blog, is a tube screamer close. Cloning the TS-9 and it's derivatives have been copied so many times and ways that it is hard to keep track. Why on earth would anyone put another of the same thing into the world. Ibanez has cornered the market on their green box. They have the TS-9(the old stand-by $100), TS-7,  TS-5(all plastic), TS-9DX(TS with an extra knob), and the TS-808(an expensive all metal TS with a couple different resisters). They all share the same circuit. So it makes it hard to stand out in the middle of such a crowd. What makes The ERD different? It has a sexy boutique-style case, true bypass, mechanical switch, and a slick decal.

What about the sound? Those who follow the world of pedals know the name aNoLoG.MaN. I name synonymous with quality tone. He is the one who made the DS-1 into something so sought after that he was once backordered for a year. EHX bought the MaN himself in on the design of this pedal. He himself admits that it is explicitly an 808 clone. He consulted on the design of the circuit and the parts used in the build. Hopefully some of his Mojo rubbed off in the process. Everything I've read from EHX fails to mention the pedal guru by name, so kudos I guess for not name dropping. I would have been skeptical if I had not read the forum that he actually participates in.

So it looks like the ERD is a TS-9 with all the popular mods installed in it already in a pretty little boutique package designed by the "King of Tone" himself. Oh yeah, it's $58 and made in the USA. So there's that.

Visual Sounds VS-XO Dual Overdrive Update.

A little while ago I posted about the new pedal being released from Visual Sound. This is the pedal that has so many of us waiting in uncontrollable fits. Now I've learned that the powers that be have postponed the release of this pedal even longer! I once had hope that it would be released by mid-October. That date has come and gone. Visual Sound had given themselves a window of mid to late October, but recent rereading of their official article on their website reveals they have pushed the date back to mid-November. I've seen some independent music retail website have the pedal for sale for as much as $400. I am very skeptical of these listings and anyone else should be as well. They may be trying to capitalize off the buzz made by the all the pedal-hype and selling the hope to get the pedal (but really pre-selling) the pedal for much more than the actually retail price... Shady stuff...

Still can't wait to actually get one of these pedals to try-out. Once again, if anyone out there has one and would like to send it to me so I can give it a review, then feel free to let me know.

Music Store Finds Are What Give Me Hope...

All of us that are lucky to live near a great local music store know what greatness can await us in the discount bin. Lately I had a great find in my local store. I've been looking for a deal on a pedal I could tinker with, so when I noticed an Ibanez TS-9 sitting in the used gear bin I got a little excited. The guys at the shop gave me a fair shake on the price so I came home with the pedal. After giving the pedal a good going through. I decided to tweak it. So I sit down with my new find about to get busy with a soldering iron and, on a whim, I peel the velcro that had covered the bottom plate. Of course the label peels off. I decide I want the label on my pedal so I try to separate the two. This is almost impossible. Just getting a corner start was frustrating enough, but I kept going. I notice that the label read, "Made In Japan". Interesting, most pedals are made in china, except the vintage ones of course. So now I look up the history of the TS-9 and how to tell if it is vintage or reissue.

Step one: The Label

If the label is black then it is the oldest edition of these pedals, meaning it was made in the very early 80's. This doesn't mean that a silver label is not vintage, just that its is made after the first ones with black label. The Silver label has a couple clue to the age of the pedal. If it says "Made in Japan" then your off to a good start. In the upper right hand corner there should not be the familiar "CE" symbol. This was added later, and its a dead giveaway that the pedal in more recent. The more recent reissues' serial number begin with "00", vintage units should not. The first number in the serial number should be close to the year of manufacture, ie 3xxx means the pedal is made in 1983.

Step two: The Guts

Getting into the pedal, the inside of the battery cover should say "MAXON". Looking at the PCB the capacitors should be green in color and the IC may be a few different types, but the JRC4558 is the one that most people look for. If all these things check out then you can feel pretty confident that you are in possession of a vintage Tube Screamer. Congratulations!

This was the case with my find. I couldn't believe it. I found this pedal in the discount bin and come to find that it is actually worth several times the price I paid. Sometimes it pays to do you homework.

The New Visual Sound VS-XO Dual Overdrive Pedal

So here it is. I have to be honest. I've been geeking out about this one. There are a couple of videos up on Visual Sounds' YouTube channel that make it sound very appealing. I have actually been a pretty big fan of Visual Sound in the past. I have had their Route 66 pedal in my set up, but I decided that the OD/Comp combination was good, but I wanted to be about to control my sounds a little more. The overdrive in that pedal sounded great and the compressor did a good job of being useful without being obvious. There are some speculations that this is an 808 and Open Road OD combo. I actually think it might be mentioned in one of the videos, but another view is that the way the tone is shaped suggest that the non-TS side is base on the Drivetrain pedal from the same maker. What the videos do well is show the versatility of this pedal. In addition to the basic three knob configuration that most of us are familiar with, the pedal has a bass knob on the left-side channel and two three-way, sliding selectors for the clipping section and bass frequencies. For a sound-tweaker such as myself, these fun little knobbies have gotten me foaming at the mouth.

Can't wait for this pedal to debut. Having said that, if anyone at Visual Sound would like to send me one of these pedals so that I can review it for them, then by all means do so. Anyone able to get their hands on one of these before the rest of us regular Joes? Let us know what you think. Big thanks to http://www.tdpri.com for always having useful info and insightful members.

5 Overdrive and Distortion Effect Pedals that I Can't Live Without

Let's pretend that the last couple years didn't happen, OK? ...OK! Here is a little bit of what I've learned: Children will change your life in every way, people won't pay me to be awesome (yet) and there are somethings that I can not live without. If you are a guitar player then chances are that you at least own some type of pedal or effect. Maybe you can't decide. The truth is, neither can I. That is why I have 5 dirt boxes that I will always have around.

5. Boss DS-1.

The Orange Box! I know what you are thinking, but don't right me off yet. I agree, this is a total noob pedal. (people still say "noob" right?) I agree. It is the obvious choice for those who have no idea what they are doing. They are cheap, $50 or so, and they are part of the most recognized line of guitar effects ever. I actually never owned one of these until I did some gear swapping and ended up get one of these thrown into a deal to "sweeten the pot". I've done some looking around and there are some pretty interesting mods out there for these. One of which is the "vintage mod" I worked on mine myself and the result was great. Sound very little like the original pedal. Much clearer. I play through this pedal just as much as the others on the list. The next one being:

4. Boss SD-1

Ok, another cheap stomp box. I don't even have a good reason to like this pedal as much as I do. Its not the best pedal on my list, and not the cheapest either. It does tie for the cheapest, but that is no reason to keep it around. What makes this pedal a keeper is that it feels the void. Not getting the grit from your rig that your looking for? This pedal steps up to offer a little different OD than the rest. Super simple knobs make it easy to tweak and the Boss compact sized doesn't hurt. There are tons of mods for this pedal too... I run one with just the C6 removed. Adds a little presents to the tone but doesn't change the overall tone much.

3. Ibanez TS-9 DX

So far Pretty Standard, Boss and Ibanez Tube Screamer. Kinda predictable. There is a reason that these pedals have been around as long as they have. They make good sounds, they are affordable, and they are available. You don't have to shell out big bucks to have a handmade box (that probably is a clone of a TS anyways) to have that great tone that you can hear in half the songs on the radio. They do still play songs with real instruments in them, right? Anyways, the DX is a great TS because of all the different sounds that your can make with addition of the mode switch. The "Turbo" setting is not all that usable with my rig, but you might disagree... I dig my Boss pedals, but Tube Screamers have a great sound that is very unique. Speaking of Boss pedals

2. Boss BD-2

Surprise! Its a Boss Pedal... My relationship with the humble Blues Driver is complicated. At first I hated it. Nothing I did seamed to get me what I wanted. I would later come back to it years later in a drunken attempt to rekindle a flame that never was. Then something magical happened. With a little help from guys at Monte Allums, my Blues Driver and shared a blissful reunion of some pretty great tone. After my pedal went under the knife, it was true love. And then disaster. The pedal died and my love was lost. It would over a year before I could replace her. Sure there were other pedals, but nothing I was committed to. Wistful affairs with dirty little boxes that always ended in regret... except

1. Velvet Umble

Handmade in Greece, its almost like you're sending a bailout to their economy. But really there aren't that expensive. $160. They are based on a circuit from the guys at Runoffgrooves. After studying the magical and mystical Dumble Amplifier, the pedal was designed to emulate the tone stack used in the actually amp. The dirt is obtained by actually overdriving the circuit. (turning up the Level and adjusting the Master) It basically acts like a preamp you can overdrive. The guys at Velvet go on to add a boost feature that make this pedal really hard to beat. Really great stuff!